Buono Tomato
by quidditchchick004
Summary: Ludwig decides to get some Italian food on a whim, but he never expected to have such a lively and attractive Italian waiter.
1. Chapter 1

Buono Tomato

Part 1

"Sorry to have made you come all the way out here, Ludwig." Arthur patted Ludwig's shoulder apologetically.

"It was no problem, really." Ludwig reassured. He had lived in this new town for nearly five months, but he never ventured out much for reasons other than work; so it was nice to get out once in a while.

"Oh, jolly good." Arthur sighed in relief. "You're a good man, Ludwig. Not many of you new chaps would be willing to come so far and work as hard as you do. At least not the gits I've been stuck training lately, anyway."

Ludwig's new-found job was that of an editor-in-training for the local newspaper and Arthur was a superior at work who was currently training him. Apparently he was quite the hard-ass from what Ludwig had heard from his co-workers, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He had only been working at this company for a few weeks, but he was picking up everything at a quick pace, much to Arthur's delight.

"So, you said you've never worked as an editor before?" Arthur asked while looking through some files.

"I did work as chief editor for my high school paper for a year, but I hardly think that counts."

"Well, that's a lot more experience than most, I must say. Aha! Here they are!" Arthur pulled a few papers out of the file he was looking through and placed them on the table. "Examples for you to follow in case you have any problems going through the drafts tonight."

"Danke, Arthur." Ludwig placed the papers carefully in his briefcase. "Will that be all for today?"

"Yes, thanks again for coming all the way out here on such short notice."

"Not a problem." Ludwig stood up from his chair and nodded to Arthur before turning to leave.

"Oh!" Arthur called. "I'll be bringing more scones to the office tomorrow, so be sure to look out for them!"

Ludwig's stomach clenched at the thought of those terrible pastries Arthur too often brought to work. No one had the heart, or the guts, to tell him they were disgusting. "Um, ja! I'll be…looking forward to them." Ludwig nodded him off once again and hurried out of the door and onto the street. He looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. He'd missed the bus and the next one wasn't due for another hour. "Damn, it's nearly dinner time too. Brother is not going to be happy with me." He took out his phone and dialed.

"_You have reached the phone of the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt. I was off being too awesome to notice your call, so leave a message and maybe I'll get back to ya…if you're lucky!"_

"Damnit, Brother, how many times have I told you to change that ridiculous voicemail?! Anyways, I'm going to be a few hours late since I got held up at work, so have dinner without me. I'll get something in town." He hung up the phone and returned it to its place in his coat pocket.

With an hour until the next bus and an empty stomach, Ludwig thought it pointless to just sit and wait, so he decided to walk around town to find a place to eat. He had been wandering for a couple of minutes when suddenly he heard festive-sounding music emanating from the building ahead. He walked up to it and looked up at the swinging sign overhead that read _"Buono Tomato"_.

The strong smell of garlic and tomato sauce wafted from the open windows of the building, and it smelled delicious. "Well, I guess it _has_ been many years since I've had Italian." Ludwig said to himself. "Ja, why not?" He opened the door to the restaurant and the music grew louder, and the smell grew stronger and even more delicious.

"Welcome to Buono Tomato." Ludwig was greeted by a young man with scowl on his face and a deep Italian accent. "How many?"

"Ah, just one."

"Okay, right this way then." Then man retrieved a menu from behind the podium and led him to a small table near the center of the room. Ludwig sat and the man placed the menu in front of him. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment." He looked in the direction of the kitchen, rolled his eyes slightly, and muttered something that sounded like "damnit" under his breath. He hurried off to the kitchen.

* * *

"Feli, what are you doing? You have a customer at table nine, hurry up!"

"Ve! Sorry, Lovi!" Feliciano turned around to rush to the table, but stopped abruptly after having a good glance at the customer. "Um…I…"

"What's the matter?"

"He—he's really mean and scary-looking. Can…can you take this one, Fratello?!" Feliciano had tears in his eyes.

"Hell no!" Lovino spat. "I'm busy enough as it is since the damn Spanish bastard called in sick today!"

"But I—"

"Just do your damn job, Feli!" Lovino pushed Feliciano out of the way and hurried back to the register.

Feliciano tried to compose himself. "It's just another customer, Feli. He's probably not even that scary." He took another look at table nine. The man was actually quite handsome; he was just giving off a really scary vibe. Feliciano took a deep breath, put his usual smile on, and glided over to the table. "Buonasera and welcome to Buono Tomato! My name is Feliciano and I'll be your waiter this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

The man looked up from his menu and stared at Feliciano in a daze for a few seconds. It was a little uncomfortable being stared at like that, but Feliciano felt better once he noticed how blue and kind the man's eyes were. The man suddenly flushed a bit and shook his head.

"Um, just water will be fine. Thank you." The man's voice was flustered, but very deep and thickly German accented; it made Feliciano's stomach flip.

"Alright, I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and be back with your water right away!" Feliciano turned away toward the kitchen to fetch a water pitcher. He took a backwards glance at the man just before he entered only to see the man had been staring at him again. The man noticed immediately that Feliciano was looking, and he quickly drew his eyes back to the menu. Feliciano couldn't help but blush a little.

Feliciano hurried back with the water and filled up the man's glass then placed a basket of fresh breadsticks on the table. "So, have we decided yet?"

"Well, I don't normally eat Italian, so…what would you recommend?"

"Oh, everything is delicious here!" The man cocked a brow. "Um, but, that's not very helpful, is it?" Feliciano laughed nervously. "Well," Feliciano bent down and started pointing to various things on the menu. "If you want to play it safe, you can always go for the Spaghetti and Meatballs. A little cliché, I know, but some people like to stick with what's familiar." He turned the page on the menu. "Now, if you like meat, there are plenty of options here. Personally, I'd go with the Veal Marsala or the Sausage Pasta. Or if you _don't_ like meat, then I suggest the Eggplant Parmigiana or the Spinach and Ricatta Cannelloni. Or if you prefer spicy dishes, then I suggest—"

Feliciano lost himself in explaining dish after dish to the man, never noticing how fast he talked or how loud he was. He was practically raised behind a stove and knew everything there was to know about Italian food; he was very passionate about it. Feliciano's mind shifted back to reality as he remembered the last time he did this, the customer had told him to shut the hell up. "Ah, sorry. I'm probably talking too much, huh?" He gave a nervous chuckle.

"Not at all. I don't mind." The man's voice was sincere and it made Feliciano's heart flutter.

"Oh, really? That is very unusual. Normally people get rather annoyed with me." He smiled and placed a hand to the back of his neck.

"Oh? That's unfortunate. You seemed very passionate about the food, so I didn't want to interrupt." Feliciano's heart fluttered once again. No one had ever said that to him before; not even Lovino. "I'm Ludwig, by the way."

"Oh! Nice to properly meet you, Ludwig! I'm Feliciano! Ah, well, I guess I already told you that, didn't I?"

Ludwig laughed softly and for the third time today, Feliciano's heart fluttered. "You were very helpful, thank you. I'll take the Sausage and Ricotta Ravioli, please."

"Great choice! That comes with either a soup or starter salad. Which would you like?"

"Oh, a salad is fine."

"Coming right up!" Feliciano smiled and made his way back to the kitchen once more. Ludwig was not at all like Feliciano had initially thought. He was actually very kind and easy to talk to. Given he didn't say much and Feliciano did most of the talking; but he didn't mind. Not to mention, he was the first customer he had waited on that didn't find him annoying. Feliciano sighed contently at the thought of going back out there to speak with him again.

"Damnit, Feli, stop day dreaming! You have customers, you know!" Lovino's boisterous voice filled Feli's ears and he realized he had forgotten completely about his other tables.

"Ve! S-sorry, Lovi!" He rushed out of the kitchen and quickly attended to his other customers before serving Ludwig his salad.

* * *

Ludwig awkwardly nibbled a few breadsticks and sipped his water as he waited for the beautiful Italian waiter to return with his salad. He hadn't expected to have such a lively and attractive waiter; not that he was complaining, though. "Feliciano." He breathed, making sure no one else would hear. The name was just as beautiful as its owner and it rolled smoothly off of Ludwig's tongue. Just _saying_ the name gave him an uneasy feeling in his stomach and he was sure he had a really stupid expression on his face.

He was getting a little anxious and couldn't help but to keep glancing back at the kitchen door; he saw Feliciano rushing in and out of it, bringing breadsticks and meals to the other tables nearby, without a single falter or hesitation in his movements. The way he moved was actually quite lovely; almost like a dance, Ludwig thought. He gazed at the Italian as he ran back and forth from the kitchen to the customers, when finally, he glided over to Ludwig's table.

"Here is your salad, Ludwig! Would you like any pepper or parmesan?"

"Please." Feliciano's movements were beautiful even as he grated the cheese and ground the pepper over his salad. "Danke, Feliciano." Ludwig said, gesturing him to stop.

"Enjoy your salad! Your entrée will be out momentarily!" Feliciano flashed that bright grin of his again before returning to the kitchen.

Ludwig chuckled softly as he watched him leave, then he took a bite of his salad. He was in awe; it was just a mere salad, not even the main course, and it was very tasty. He then realized how hungry he actually was and gobbled it up quickly, though still savoring every bite. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin and almost as if Feliciano had been watching to see when he finished, his entrée was brought to the table.

"Wow," Ludwig said quite impressed. "What perfect timing you have."

Feliciano smiled shyly. "Thank you, Ludwig! So tell me, what do you think?" He gestured towards the plate of ravioli on the table.

Ludwig looked down at his plate; it sure looked and smelled delicious. He scooped up a fork-full to taste it and was sure he sat there dumbfounded for at least a minute before Feliciano's melodious laugh snapped him out of it. "S-sorry, Feliciano. I think I just ate…heaven."

"It's okay," He tried to stifle his laughter a bit. "That happens a lot here. Grandpa's the best chef in the world!"

"I wouldn't doubt that. Thank you for the suggestion, Feliciano."

"No problem! Always happy to—"

"Feliciano for God's sake, stop disappearing!" Lovino's voice came from the direction of the kitchen and made Feli jump.

"Oh, ah, sorry Lovi! I uh, should be getting back to work, heh. I'll check up on you later!"

"Oh…ja! Sorry for distracting you." Feliciano scurried off to the kitchen and shot him another smile before vanishing through the door. Ludwig sighed contently and continued to eat his dinner in a happy daze. Every bite was amazing and he wished he could eat it forever, but he was down to his last bite of sausage in no time. He was very full and satisfied with his meal; Feliciano came back to the table.

"Ah, finished, I see!"

"Yes, and it was fantastic."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it! So, can I interest you in some dessert?"

Ludwig felt as though he'd hurt his feelings if he refused, but he was just so full and couldn't possibly fit a dessert in as well. He looked up at Feliciano's bright, forever-smiling face and realized he didn't want to leave quite yet anyway. "Sure, why not?"

Feliciano's face lit up even more, if that was even possible. "Wonderful! What would you like?"

"Well, uh, surprise me."

"Ooh, I've got just the thing!" He hurried to the kitchen once again.

Feliciano had returned with a slice of what seemed to be some sort of chocolate cake on a decorated plate, and set it down in front of him happily. Ludwig stared in awe.

"Is…something wrong?" Feliciano asked nervously as if he had messed something up.

"No, I just…I really love cake."

"Oh really?! I made a great guess then, didn't I?!"

Ludwig nodded and took a bite and was in heaven again. He didn't even care that he was completely full anymore and devoured the cake with gusto. "Does your grandpa bake the cakes as well?"

"Ah, sometimes. But these cakes are my brother's. He's quite good, right?"

"Mm-hm. Do you, uh, do you cook as well?"

"Oh yes! I'm not near as good as Grandpa, but I'd say I'm quite good! Oh, I wish I was in the kitchen tonight so you could have tried my cooking."

Ludwig looked up lovingly at the handsome Italian. "Ah," he said softly. "But then I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting you." Ludwig coughed and blushed as soon as he realized what he just said…and _how _he said it. He then tried to cover it up by grabbing the glass of water in front of him and gulping it down.

"What a…sweet thing to say." Feliciano's voice had suddenly become very soft. "Um, it was a pleasure meeting you too, Ludwig." Ludwig glanced up from his glass and it looked as though Feliciano had a tinge of red on his cheeks as well. "Can I…interest you in anything else?"

"I don't think so, I couldn't possibly eat another bite."

"Oh." Feliciano's face saddened. "I'll go get your bill for you, then." He turned around and slowly walked away, very unlike the normal spring he had in his step throughout the evening. He seemed almost back to normal when he returned with the bill, however he wasn't smiling as brightly. "I'm glad you enjoyed your meal and hope to see you again!"

Ludwig smiled. "Most definitely."

Feliciano brightened up again as though Ludwig's words were music to his ears. "Oh, silly me, let me get this plate out of your way!" He scooped the empty plate up and hurried back to the kitchen. Ludwig placed his chin in his hand as he watched him walk. He saw the watch on his wrist out of the corner of his eye and had a moment of panic and looked at the time.

"Ah, Gott! Nearly time for the bus." He put his coat on in a hurry and slipped a ten dollar bill underneath his empty water glass. That was probably way too generous a tip, but he didn't care. He wanted to show his appreciation in some way. He hurried to the register and paid his bill. Before he left, he took another glance at the kitchen door, hoping Feliciano would emerge from it so he could see him one more time, but it did not happen. Ludwig couldn't waste anymore time, so he sighed, walked out the door, and headed for the bus stop. He felt awful just leaving without saying goodbye, but he couldn't miss the bus either.

* * *

Feliciano hummed a lovely tune as he placed the empty cake plate in the sink, and without thinking, he started to wash it along with the rest of the dishes. The thought of Ludwig coming back made him very happy.

A voice laughed out. "Feli, what on earth are you doing?"

"Washing the dishes, Grandpa!" he sang.

"I can see that, but don't you have tables still?"

Feliciano stopped humming and realized what he was doing. "Oh…right! I do! Heh, sorry, Grandpa. I just got distracted, is all!"

Roma laughed again and shook his head. "Oh, Feli. What am I going to do with you?"

Feliciano quickly dried his hands and hurried back out of the kitchen. He went directly to Ludwig's table only to find he wasn't there anymore. His mood suddenly fell and he frantically looked around to see if maybe Ludwig was coming back from the bathroom or up at the register. He didn't spot him anywhere, so he walked to the front.

"Hey, Lovi? Did Lud...I mean, the German from table nine leave yet?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago. Why?"

"Oh, um…no reason! Just…he was gone suddenly when I came back from the kitchen and I just uh, wanted to make sure he paid his bill."

"Uh huh." Lovino stared at Feliciano skeptically, but then shook his head. "Well, don't just stand there looking stupid, wait your tables."

"Ve…um. Right." Feliciano slowly made his way over to his other tables and tried his best to put that warm smile back on his face. He was really upset Ludwig didn't say goodbye. Maybe he was misinterpreting everything and maybe Ludwig didn't like him at all and was just trying to be nice for the sake of his feelings.

After making sure his other tables were taken care of at the moment, he sauntered back to table nine to clear it. He picked up the lone glass and gasped as he saw a ten dollar bill beneath it. What was this? Ludwig's tip? No, that couldn't be right, why would he leave ten dollars? That was way too much. Feliciano looked at the bill for a few seconds before clutching it to his chest and then felt a sudden warmth fill him up.

He _wasn't_ misinterpreting after all. Why else would he leave such a generous tip? The largest tip he had ever gotten was when he had to wait a table of twelve, but that was a table of _twelve_, not just one person. Feliciano's mood lifted and felt like singing, so he started to hum contently once again as he cleared the table.

"I swear, you change moods as fast as you talk!" Lovino snorted as he walked by on his way to the kitchen. "You looked like you were about to cry a few minutes ago. What happened?"

"Just suddenly felt like humming, is all."

"Wait, what's that?" Lovino questioned, pointing to the bill in Feliciano's hand.

"Oh, this? It's my tip from table nine!"

"Ten dollars? What the hell did you do you get _that_? You've been spacing out all night."

"Well, he was really nice and enjoyed my company. At least…I think so." Feliciano blushed slightly at the thought.

"Eh, whatever. Good job, I guess." He shrugged and continued on his way to the kitchen.

Feliciano took one last look at the bill and smiled before slipping it into his pocket and following Lovino to the kitchen. His overly happy mood lingered for the rest of the evening and he even happily placed the bill on his bedside table once he returned home. It seemed silly, to be happy over such a simple thing, but he didn't care and just let the butterflies fill his stomach as he lay in bed. Thoughts of Ludwig returning to the restaurant flooded his head before he finally drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Gilbert sat on the couch with his knees pressed tightly to his chest as he slowly shoveled a bowl of chocolate ice cream into his mouth that was forever agape from the movie he was watching.

"Ugh, stupid! Why would you split up directly after saying _not_ to split up?! Yup, he's totally gonna die. Ah shit, shit! Not _that _way! He's there, idiot! Behind you, he's—"

The front door suddenly swung open and Gilbert noticed the silhouette of a giant figure in the doorway.

"ARRRHHHH!" Gilbert jumped up from the couch and launched his bowl of ice cream at the giant. "Stay back, beast! I have a…spoon! Yes, the deadly spoon of awesomeness. It's real silver, so don't come any closer!"

"Gott, Brother! What the hell was that about? You got ice cream all over my jacket!"

"West?" Ludwig stepped inside and into the light and he was, indeed, covered in ice cream. "O-oh. Oh, mein Gott, West!" Gilbert sighed in relief and burst into laughter. "You scared the pants off of me!" He fell back onto the couch. "You have ice cream everywhere, kesese!" He clenched his side and continued his fit until Ludwig closed the door and carefully slipped off his chocolate-stained jacket. "But seriously, though! Why the hell would you come bursting through the door like that when I'm watching a scary movie?!"

"How was I supposed to know you were watching a scary movie?!"

"Well duh! It's late and I'm home alone. Perfect atmosphere for it, right?"

Ludwig let out a soft breath of laughter and shook his head at his brother.

"Sorry about your jacket, though."

"Ah, no. It's fine. It'll come out in the wash." Ludwig stared at his jacket. "Chocolate, huh? Just like…the cake." he said softly, almost seemingly to himself, and he sighed contently.

"Pfft, what's with that expression, Lud?! It looks like you wanna take the jacket out to dinner and schmooze it or something!"

"No, it's nothing like that! I just had a nice evening, is all."

"Oh?" Gilbert questioned. "Ah, right! You said you'd be getting dinner in town. So, where'd you go?"

"An Italian place near Arthur's."

"_Italian_? Seriously, Lud? You never eat Italian."

"I know, but the aroma coming from the place was just too pleasant to pass up."

"So it was good, I'm assuming?"

Ludwig remembered how delicious everything was; the salad, the ravioli, the cake. Then there was the most beautiful person Ludwig had ever met. "Feliciano." He whispered, not realizing he said it out loud until Gilbert snorted.

"Wait, what? Who's Feliciano?"

Ludwig flushed. "W-what? No one! He-he's no one!"

Gilbert cocked a brow at Ludwig. "No one, huh?"

"Exactly. No one." Ludwig knew that Gilbert could tell he was lying with the smirk he was giving him. He started to feel a little uncomfortable, so he started down the hall. "I'm going to bed."

"Oh no you're not!" Gil jumped up from the couch and quickly barricaded himself between Ludwig and the hall. "Not until you tell me who this Feliciano guy is!"

"Please, Brother, I just want to go to bed."

"Oh, come on, Lud! I just wanna know more about the guy who caused you to get such a dorky look on your face!"

Ludwig sighed and gave in. "He was my waiter at the restaurant."

"Oh?" Gilbert grinned deviously. "Do tell me more."

Ludwig flushed again; he had been doing that far too much this evening. "Please, Gil. I don't want to talk about it."

Gilbert pouted. "But Luuuudwiiiiiig. Come on! I have to know!"

"Why?"

"Because you're my shy, lonely, little brother who rarely wears the expression you had a minute ago. Because the only time I see you smile is when you bake. Because you never go out to have any fun for yourself, so I literally have to drag you to get a beer with me. Because the minute you get home from an evening out that you enjoyed, you have this aura about you, this look on your face. And I know it's because of this Feliciano guy! Lud, seriously, you look so happy. Happier than I've seen you in years and I just wanna know about the guy who did this to you. Is that so much to ask?"

Ludwig was slightly surprised by Gil's sudden change in tone, but he was definitely serious. Ludwig's expression softened and he let out a breath of air. "Well, I guess it isn't _so_ much to ask. I-I'll tell you."

Gilbert's face lit up. "Really?! Awesome!" He took a hold of Ludwig's arm and dragged him over to the couch. "Sit, sit! Tell me everything!"

Ludwig chuckled lightly at his brother and began to tell him of his evening. How warm he felt when he first set eyes on Feliciano and how flustered he made him feel. How Feliciano danced across the floor as he served his customers and how he talked to Ludwig. How mesmerized he was when Feliciano would talk about food and how endearing he found Feliciano's constant positive attitude. He talked of his beautiful amber-colored eyes and that brilliant smile that made his heart melt. He even told him how he stayed for dessert despite being very full just because he didn't want to leave.

Gilbert snickered after Ludwig finished his story. "Wow, Lud. I've never seen you talk so much in your life!"

"D-don't make fun of me!"

"I wasn't, I wasn't! I was just sayin'. Gott, you kept making the most adorable faces too!" Gil pinched both of Ludwig's cheeks. "Your face must hurt from smiling so much, haha!"

"Gilbert, stop! That hurts!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Gilbert released Ludwig's cheeks and ruffled his hair a bit and smirked at him again. "So, did you get his number?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"I uh…actually, no."

"What?! Why not? You have the hots for him, right?"

Ludwig felt his face flush once again. "Well, um…ja, but I…I don't think he..."

"What? You don't think he likes you? Pffft, oh pa-lease, Lud. The way you said he talked to you, there's no way he couldn't like you! I mean, just look at that face!"

"I'm sure he was just being nice because it was his _job_ to, Gil. Besides, I didn't even get his last name, how can you expect me to get his number? That…that would be way too embarrassing."

"Luddy, Luddy, Luddy." Gil wrapped his arm around Ludwig's shoulder. "Sometimes you just gotta take that chance, y'know? How about instead of asking for his number, give him yours. You don't even need to give it to him directly; all you have to do is slip it underneath a glass before you leave, and there you have it!"

"I-I don't know, Gil…" he looked to the ground, his expression saddening for the first time that night. "What if…what if he never calls?"

"Well, then you never have to see him again. No harm done!"

Ludwig's sad expression grew worse. "But...I don't want to never see him again. It'd be better to just not say anything."

Gilbert sighed. "So you'd rather just admire him from afar for the rest of your life instead of taking a chance? He sounds pretty damn cute from what you said, I doubt he'd stay single that long."

Ludwig looked up at his brother and felt slightly panicked because he knew he was right.

"You said you wanted to go back again, didn't you?" Gilbert asked, and Ludwig nodded. "Well, then try flirting with him a bit more! Pluck up some courage and slip him your number! You never know!"

"You make it sound so easy, Gil. You know I'm not good at talking to people. Especially not in _that_ kind of situation."

"Well, even if you don't do it next time you go, visit the restaurant again and give it another shot!"

"Gil…I-I don't know if I..."

Gilbert pouted and suddenly started sobbing. "Please just try, Ludwig! I just want to see you be happy and have a cute boyfriend and have a bunch of cute dates and then get married and have a bunch of little Luds running around! I wanna be an Uncle, Lud! I'd be the most awesome Uncle ever and you know it and I'll never get the chance to be one because you won't even try and you'll be single foreveeeerrrr!" He slumped over Ludwig's shoulder and continued his melodramatic sobbing.

"Alright, alright, fine. I-I'll try."

Gilbert sprung up from his fit and lit up, no tears in sight. "Really?! Now that's the spirit!"

Ludwig shook his head and sighed. "Okay, I'm going to bed now."

"It's only 9:30. What are you, 90?" Ludwig shot him a stern look. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Now get to bed, ya old man!"

"Gute Nacht, Brother."

"Yeah yeah, sleep tight!"

Ludwig turned to head down the hall and to his bedroom. He faintly heard Gilbert swear that he had missed the ending to his movie before closing the door and collapsing on his bed without even bothering to change. What was he going to do with him; _honestly. _He loved his brother, but he could definitely be a handful sometimes. He figured that's why he suddenly felt so tired.

After a few minutes, he finally decided to sit up and strip himself of his work clothes before pulling back his sheets and slipping into bed. As tired as he was, he didn't fall asleep as fast as he had wanted to. He turned over onto his side and let that bright smile and those deep amber eyes fill his thoughts before he sighed contently and slowly drifted off.

* * *

"I just don't understand you, Feli! A few weeks ago, you complained every single day about not having any time off, and when Grandpa finally decides to heed your request, you want to come into work!" Lovino's voice was harsher than usual and Feliciano sat on the couch, holding a throw-pillow up to his chest for protection.

"I just don't really feel like I need any time off right now, is all. I want to work!"

"Bullshit! Since when do _you_ not want any time off?! What's been going on with you? Are you sick?"

"No, Lovi! I—" Feliciano was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Ah, perfect timing. If _I _can't make any sense of this, _he_ can." Lovino hurried to the door and quickly opened it.

"Hey, Lovi! What's up? Your text sounded urgent!"

"Get in here now!" Lovino grabbed Antonio by the shoulders and pulled him into the house.

"Oh, did you miss me that much, Lovi?" Antonio smirked. "I'm flattered."

"Shut up, bastard. I called you over here to help me with Feli. There's something wrong with him."

"Aww, that's why? I thought you wanted some time with Boss. I even wore those tomato boxers you like so m—" he was cut off by Lovino shoving his hand over his mouth.

"K-knock it off, you jerk!"

Antonio smiled through Lovino's hand, slowly removed it from his face, and kissed it softly, causing Lovino's face to turn bright red. "Okay, so what's been going on with Feli?"

Lovino shook Antonio away and lead him into the living room where he was immediately greeted by a hug from Feliciano.

"Ciao, Toni! It's good to see you!"

"Haha, calm down, Feli. You saw me yesterday, didn't you?" he turned to Lovino. "See, why don't _you_ ever greet me like this, Lovi?"

Lovino ignored him. "So, this little shit here complains all the time about not getting any time off from work and when Grandpa finally decides to give him a few days off, he doesn't want to take them!"

"I told you, Lovi! I really just don't feel like I need any time off right now."

"Ah, there it is! You see what I mean, Toni? In what universe does my little brother not want any time off?"

"Lovino, please just let me go to work! I thought maybe you wouldn't mind more help, since that's something _you_ complain about a lot."

"Aha, Feli has a point there, Lovi." Lovino shot Antonio a death glare. "B-but yeah, you wanting to go into work so badly is a little strange, Feli. Why not just take the few days off? Maybe it'll help you feel better."

"I'm not sick, Toni. I just…want to work." Feliciano looked down at his feet. He just couldn't miss a day of work, and he _definitely_ could not miss two; not with the chance of Ludwig returning. What if he had decided to come on one of those days Feliciano took off? It had been nearly three weeks since their first meeting, sure, but Ludwig said he'd come back.

Antonio studied Feliciano's expression for a few minutes and then let out a breath of realization. "Wait, wait, wait...is this about that German guy, Feli?"

"German guy?" Lovino questioned. "What German guy?"

Feliciano choked and his face turned a brilliant shade of pink. Antonio had not been there the day Ludwig came into the restaurant, but Feliciano told him all about it because he just couldn't stand keeping it bottled up. He was going to talk to Lovino at first, but decided against it because he figured Antonio was better at this kind of thing and could give him some advice.

"Aha, so it _is _about that German guy!"

Lovino growled. "What German guy?!"

"Feli didn't tell you yet?"

"Tell me what?!"

"Well, there was this German guy who came into the restaurant a few weeks ago and—"

"Toni!" Feliciano interrupted. "You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

"Ah, sorry, Feli. But why shouldn't your brother know? He's bound to find out soon anyway if this guy _does_ come back, right?"

"I-I guess so." Feliciano sighed and let Antonio proceed to tell Lovino about the day Ludwig came into the restaurant. He sat on the couch again and hid his pink face behind the throw pillow; he'd never felt this embarrassed before.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember him. He was the scary-looking one who gave you the ten dollar tip, right?"

Feliciano peaked from behind the pillow and nodded. "Y-yes."

Lovino started to laugh. "Ha! No wonder you were so spaced-out that day! I mean, you can be pretty spacey normally, but you were overly so that day. Grandpa told me you even danced into the kitchen humming and washed the dishes!" Lovino calmed his laughter. "But ugh, why _that_ guy, Feli?"

"What do you mean by that, Lovino?! He was actually really nice and liked when I talked and he didn't find me annoying!"

"Well, there's obviously something wrong with him if he didn't find you annoying. You sure he wasn't just trying to spare your feelings? It wouldn't be the first time."

"Lovino!" Antonio pushed on his shoulder lightly. "Now that wasn't very nice!"

"Well, he seemed genuine to me." Feliciano said softly.

"You said so yourself that he was mean and scary-looking, didn't you? I can't trust a guy who scares my fratello."

Antonio playfully rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Lovino's shoulder. "Aw, c'mon, Lovi. Feli said the guy was nice and genuine, didn't he? He even gave him a ten dollar tip for crying out loud!"

Lovino sighed. "Fine, whatever. Come into work tonight if you want. Just don't get distracted if the guy shows up again, okay?" he pushed Antonio's arm off and stomped up stairs.

Antonio shook his head and laughed as he watched his moody boyfriend stomp up the stairs like a brat; he then sat down next to Feliciano. "So, Feli. What does this guy look like, anyway?"

* * *

Ludwig hadn't been this excited about something in a very long time, and he was anticipating the time he would be able to get off of work and head to Arthur's house for some more documents. Of course, as if on purpose, the day was going by dreadfully slow; even slower since Ludwig glanced at the clock every 15 seconds.

He was going to go back to the restaurant once he was finished at Arthur's, and his heart swelled at the thought of being able to see his beautiful Italian waiter again. It had been nearly a month since he saw him the first time, and he felt completely horrible about the long wait.

He had promised Feliciano he'd return, but he had been so busy with work that tonight was the only time he would have been available to go to dinner, and the restaurant wasn't exactly a hop, skip, and a jump from where Ludwig lived; and with Gilbert needing the car for _his_ work more than he, it made it even more difficult. But having to meet up at Arthur's house again for work, he finally had an excuse to go.

Deciding to take a quick peek at the clock after resisting many attempts before, it was actually nearly time for him to leave. Heart pounding slightly in excitement, Ludwig started packing up his briefcase and then nearly sprinted to the elevator once the clock hit 5:30. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator to reach his floor, and then was taken aback at the person who emerged from it once the doors opened.

"Arthur? What in the world, I was just heading to see you."

"Ah, Ludwig! I'm so glad I caught you before you headed out. That would have been a waste of a trip!"

"H-how—"

"Well, my house is actually being fumigated at the moment, so I'm staying at an…uh, an acquaintance's house for the time being. He lives much closer to the office than I do, so I thought I'd meet you here. I tried to phone, but it went straight to voicemail."

"Oh, sorry about that! I keep it off at work sometimes because my brother enjoys spamming me with random text messages."

"So, now that I've caught you," Arthur opened his own briefcase and retrieved a manila folder from it. "Here are the documents for Monday."

"Danke, Arthur." Ludwig took the folder and stashed it away.

"You must be relieved. I know it's a long ways to my house outside of town and it must be a bother since you don't have a car."

"Ah, ja."

"Oh!" Arthur looked at his watch. "I have a meeting with the editorial staff and the executive director in ten minutes and I'd like you to be there to observe."

"Oh, um, actually I uh…" Ludwig looked at the clock out of the corner of his eye. The last bus out of the city for the evening left in about 30 minutes, and he knew that the meeting would most likely take longer than that. But, he'd never been to such an important meeting before and it'd be a great opportunity. Unfortunately, that would mean he'd not be able to go see Feliciano. "Ah, sure. It'd be great experience. Thank you, Arthur."

"No worries, lad!" Arthur clapped him on the shoulder, and then Ludwig followed him back into the elevator and they ascended to the sixth floor and to the meeting room.

As expected, the meeting lasted longer than 30 minutes and after Ludwig thanked Arthur once again, he got into the elevator, and sulked on the way down. He had been so excited to see Feliciano, but that's the way it was, he supposed. He took out his phone once he reached the lobby and turned it back on so he could let Gilbert know he was heading home.

To no surprise, Ludwig was greeted with nearly 15 unread texts from his brother. All pointless things like the adorable cat he saw on the way to work, and how there had been traffic, and that a couple in the car in front of him were arguing so rigorously that one had opened the door and stormed out of the car. Just about to send a text, he had received another one from his brother.

"_so are ya on the bus out of town yet?! let me know when ya get to the restaurant. ;D"_

Ludwig sighed and typed up a response. _"No, actually. Arthur showed up at the office last minute and then he wanted me to sit-in at a meeting with the executive director. So I missed the last bus out of town. Maybe next time." _Ludwig slid his phone back into his coat pocket and then it almost instantly started to vibrate. He took it out and looked at it; it was another text from Gil.

"_WHAT?! OMG THAT IS SO NOT AWESOME! STAY RIGHT THERE I'M PICKING YOU UP RIGHT NOW AND TAKING YOU THERE MYSELF!"_

It took a few seconds for Ludwig to fully process what he had just read. Was Gilbert…_actually_ coming?

"_Brother, it's okay! You don't need to leave work early for that. I can go another time!"_ He sent the text, but received no response for 20 more minutes.

"_oops sorry already here"_

"_GILBERT!"_

"_kesese x3"_

Ludwig exited the building to look for Gilbert and saw him parked across the street.

"Hurry up, West! This is a no parking zone!"

Ludwig hurried across the street. "Then why did you park there?"

"We're in a hurry, right? Come on and get in. I told my boss it was a quick family emergency. I've gotta be back in an hour!"

Ludwig looked utterly appalled. "You _lied_ to your boss?!"

"No no! I didn't lie. You _are_ family, and this _is_ an emergency…"

Ludwig sighed, got into the car, and told Gilbert where to go; then Gilbert sped off. It had been a while since they drove together and Gilbert's driving was ridiculous and a bit frightening. Not nearly as frightening, however, as the music that was coming from the radio. Gil grinned and sang along, completely out of tune, but that had never stopped him before.

"Alright, we have arrived! Now hurry up and go see that sexy Italian of yours!"

Ludwig took his seatbelt off, but as he reached for the door handle, he just remained seated in the car and stared at the door.

"Lud? You okay?"

"What if…what if he doesn't remember me? It's been nearly a month and I was just one customer…it's possible that he—"

"Lud, Lud! Calm down. I'm most certain he'll remember. I know _I'd_ never forget someone who gave me a ten dollar tip!" Ludwig turned away from the door and pulled Gilbert into a hug. "L-Lud?"

"Thank you. Thank you so much. You went completely out of your way and—"

"Of course, Lud! You're my little brother, after all. You were so happy to see Feliciano again today and Arthur ruining your plans and making you sad was so not awesome, and it kills me to see you sad." He pulled away from the hug. "Now go!"

Ludwig nodded and hurried out of the car and to the front door of the restaurant. The smell was exactly how he had remembered and he could still hear the festive music playing from inside. His heart was racing, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. This time instead of the young man with a scowl, he was greeted by a cheery man with bright eyes and a Spanish accent.

"Welcome to Buono Tomato! How many in your party this evening, my good sir?!"

"Ah, just me, I'm afraid."

The man's eyes widened for a second and he seemed to be studying him, but that quickly passed and the man smiled again, retrieved a menu, and gestured for Ludwig to follow. To Ludwig's surprise, he was seated at the same table he had been at the first time.

"Your waiter will be with you in just a moment! Please review our menu in the mean time!" The man smiled once again and then rushed off to the kitchen with a determined look on his face.

* * *

Feliciano had just started his ten minute break and was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and looking at an art supply catalog. He jumped slightly when Antonio burst through the door and rushed over to him.

"Feli! Feli, come quick!"

"Aw, Toni. Why? I just started my break!" he whined as he flipped the pages of his catalog.

"No, Feli, you don't understand! I think your German just came in!"

Feliciano's head practically jumped off of his shoulders at the mention of Ludwig and he stared at Antonio in awe. "Are-are you sure?!"

"I think so! He matched your description exactly! And he's alone and he had that deep voice like you said!"

Feliciano's hand found its way to clench at his shirt and his face felt hot. Could it really be him, after such an unbearably long time since their first encounter, could he have finally returned?

"I put him at table nine." Antonio informed as Feliciano sprinted toward the door to peek out of it. He spotted table nine instantly and felt himself gasp as he noticed the man sitting there. "So? Is it him?!" Feliciano grew silent and his face flushed furiously, then a huge smile spread across his face. "So it _is_ him! See, I told you he'd come back!"

Feliciano rushed back into the kitchen, gulped down his coffee, and grabbed his notepad and pen, ready to rush back out.

"Whoa there, Feli. Didn't you just start your break? Don't you wanna finish it?"

Feliciano laughed. "Are you kidding me? I've waited long enough!" He danced past Antonio and out to table nine. He slowed down a bit just before getting there, not wanting to startle Ludwig or look too eager. He took a deep breath, and slowly glided the rest of the way to the table.

"Welcome to Buono Tomato! It's nice to see you again, Ludwig!"

Ludwig jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of Feliciano, but relaxed once he processed the voice and looked up at him and smiled. "It's nice to see you again too, Feliciano."


End file.
